G/SPS/N/USA/3379  
20 April 2023  
(23-2843) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member:  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA  
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, 
where applicable):  Cut flowers  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:   
5. Title of the notified document:  Proposed Rule: Cut Flowers Regulations; Removal of 
Chrysanthemum White Rust -Related Provisions . Language(s):  English . Number of 
pages:  4 
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/04/17/2023 -07894/cut -flowers -
regulations -removal -of-chrysanthemum -white -rust-related -provisions  [Docket No. 
APHIS -2019-0024]  
6. Description of content:  We are proposing to amend the regulations governing the 
importation of cut flowers to remove requirements for the importation of specific types of 
cut flowers from the regulations, and to list them in the U.S. Department of Agriculture 
database called the Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements instead. Updates to 
these requirements would occur through a noticed -based process rather than rulemaking. 
We are also proposing to remove entirely any restrictions on the importation of cut flowers 
of the genera Chrysanthemum, Leucanthemella,  and Nipponanthemum  from countries in 
which chrysanthemum white rust ( Puccinia horiana  P. Henn., CWR) is known to exist. For 
this latter proposed action, we have prepared an analysis, which we are making available 
for public r eview and comment, that evaluates the efficacy of the current regulatory 
requirements in precluding the spread of CWR and the possible economic impacts 
associated with removing these requirements. These changes would allow us to use a 
notice -based, streaml ined approach to update the import requirements for cut flowers, 
and it would remove CWR -specific restrictions on the importation of cut flowers. [Federal 
Register Vol. 88, No. 73, Monday 17 April 2023, pp. 23365 -23368]  
7. Objective and rationale: [  ] food safety, [  ] animal health, [X]  plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   G/SPS/N/USA/3379  
 
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  8. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) :  
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) :  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) :  
[X] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[ ] Yes   [  ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:   
9. Other relevant documents and lan guage(s) in which these are available:    
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined.  
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined.  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [  ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined.  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [  ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 16 June 2023  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [  ] National Notification 
Authority, [  ] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address 
(if available) of other body:   
Ms. Julie Orr, Regulatory Policy Specialist, Regulatory Coordination and Compliance, PPQ, 
APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 133, R iverdale, MD 20737 –1231; Tel: +(301) 851 –4022.  
13. Text(s) available from: [  ] National Notification Authority, [  ] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/04/17/2023 -07894/cut -flowers -
regulations -removal -of-chrysanthemum -white -rust-relate d-provisions